Relationships between job satisfaction, burnout, professional identity and meaningfulness of work activities for occupational therapists working in mental health

Introduction The core tenet of occupational therapy is that engaging in meaningful occupations promotes health and wellbeing. Despite this, surprisingly little research has explored the meaningfulness of occupational therapists' own work. Occupational therapists in mental health have been identified as at risk of poor work-related wellbeing, therefore, it is important to explore potential 'protective factors' that may support wellbeing. Meaningfulness of work may be one such factor. This study was established to explore the relationships between job satisfaction, burnout, professional identity and meaningfulness of work activities for occupational therapists working in mental health. Method Participants (N = 118) completed a time use diary and measures of job satisfaction, burnout and professional identity. 'Meaningfulness of work activities' was constructed from respondents' ratings of each work activity according to client-relatedness, occupational therapy specificity and value of the activity to the individual, clients and families and colleagues. Relationships between meaningfulness of work activities, job satisfaction, burnout and professional identity were explored using bivariate correlations and stepwise regression. Analyses were also conducted to examine differences between individuals in working in 'generic' roles and those in 'occupational therapy specific' roles. Results Higher levels of meaningfulness of work activities were associated with higher job satisfaction, lower burnout and stronger sense of professional identity. The element of meaningfulness of work activities of 'value to self' was the most influential in terms of associations with each of the measures. There were no statistically significant differences in ratings of job satisfaction, burnout or professional identity between respondents in 'generic' and 'occupational therapy specific' positions. Conclusion Efforts to increase the meaningfulness of work activities for occupational therapists in mental health may enhance work-related wellbeing. Supporting staff to engage in work duties they find valuable through individualised work allocations across teams may be an innovative approach to improve staff satisfaction and wellbeing.